Previews

Grand Theft Auto Double Pak

Two of the best games on the market get a makeover and can be had for the price of one.

Spiffy:

Nice visual enhancements; outstanding gameplay; incredible value.

Iffy:

Some jaggies still remain; exclusive missions would have been nice.

Xbox owners are in for a naughty treat with Grand Theft Auto Double Pack. This sizzling set includes two of the biggest, most influential and groundbreaking games ever: Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The fact that these awesome games are coming to the Xbox is incredibly cool, but what makes the package even sweeter is that they're enhanced to take advantage of the Xbox's additional muscle. I hung out with the rock stars at Rockstar (or at least two of the company's PR clowns) to give GTA Double Pack a spin and check out its augmented visuals. While Xbox owners will definitely want to pick it up, the graphics have been sweetened to the point where many gamers that played this duo on the PS2 might want to revisit it.

If you haven't heard about or played these games then you're missing out on what Jack Black has called, "a life-changing experience." Though it got plenty of attention from the mainstream press for its violence, GTAIII was groundbreaking for the amount of freedom it offered. It truly served up a living, breathing city to gamers; you could go anywhere and do anything in Liberty City. Furthermore, it's one of the finest mature-rated games ever made. Vice City took things a step further and a step back by making incremental improvements and serving up the sweetest helping of '80s style the gaming world has ever seen.

New lighting effects make the game look even better.

The company went over a laundry list of embellishments the developers at Rockstar Vienna (home of the tastiest sausages in the world) have made. These include improvements with specular lighting, reflection maps, texture re-insertation, higher polygon models, and an enhanced particle system. While that's all well and good, the bottom line is that everything looks better.

The characters, especially in GTAIII, are more detailed; instead of the oven-mitt hands each model had in the original, you'll see individual fingers. The models are now properly lipped synched to the game's dialogue. While the increased polygon count of each character is easily noticeable, the developers added little touches -- like flowers on lapels -- to give each one more personality. The inhabitants of Liberty City and Vice City are looking fine!

There are loads of little details throughout each game as well. If you bump a cars hood off, you'll see an ornately detailed engine. Gone are the blurry trees from the PS2 version, replaced with foliage that looks lush and realistic. You can clearly read license plates, street signs, store displays, and more -- something that wasn't possible in the original versions.

Naturally, the games can be played at 480p in 16:9 widescreen mode. Sound has been remastered and is delivered in glorious Dolby Digital 5.1. While the soundtracks and radio commercials of the games were excellent, you can use your own playlists for custom soundtracks. In a nice touch, custom soundtracks are played through a car's audio system: a tape deck in Vice City and a CD player in GTAIII. At last, I can truly live out my Vice City '80s fantasy and rock to hours of Journey while I beat up hookers.

For the most part, the game plays exactly the same as its predecessors. The most notable change is in its driving controls. Like many popular Xbox racers, GTA Double Pack uses the analog shoulder buttons on the Xbox controller for braking and acceleration. So if you're a Project Gotham Racing veteran then zooming around Liberty City and Vice City will be old hat to you.

Higher polygon models is just one of several improvements.

Overall, the game is just significantly better looking than its PS2 counterpart, and the load times are much better. That said, there are still some remnants that show that this is clearly a port -- as enhanced as it may be -- of a PS2 game. For instance, there are still more jagged lines then any Xbox title should have.

Mature Xbox owners that haven't played either of these games should definitely pick this baby up -- no question about it. They are two of finest games on the market and they've really changed people's expectations of what a game can be. It's a judgment call for PS2 players that have already enjoyed these games. The graphical enhancements are great to soak in -- especially in GTAIII -- but it pretty much plays the same. GTA Double Pack is just an incredible value; you get two outstanding (and visually improved) games for the price of one.